Boris bikes...will I die?

training in That there London Town City at the mo, they've moved my training site so its a couple of miles from the hotel (the gits). Outside hotel is a rank of those funny looking bike things... riding? in London? in rush hour? I' m a country boy..will I cope? Should I risk it or continue to walk and battle with all those smelly townsfolk on the Tube?

Recently finished working in London for 4 months, I used them most days as an alternative to the tube, for a 6mile each way commute (Central hotel out to Canary Wharf), I can confirm I am still alive.

I thought they were brilliant actually, they are slow though, weigh a ton and only have 3 gears making a realistic top speed of about 12mph. You will have to get used to being endlessly overtaken by the hardcore commuters, some of which make a BIG SHOW of it, you're kind of bottom of the cycling pecking order on a boris bike.

Was cheap, riding in London is great fun, I always got to work buzzing, and had no bike of my own to worry about. I can't actually think of a downside.

Edit: just to add, they are a lot more popular than most people expect, especially now with light evenings, so you will not stand out as a cycling advertisement for Barclays. And if there is the slightest hint of trouble on the tube every bike will be taken for quite a wide radius.

But you need an account though, yes? I thought something had to be done up front at a PC. Current project is in Southwark, so seems to make more sense to bike to Waterloo or even all the way to Paddington if it's a nice day.

molgrips said » But you need an account though, yes? I thought something had to be done up front at a PC. Current project is in Southwark, so seems to make more sense to bike to Waterloo or even all the way to Paddington if it's a nice day.

I used to BB it from Waterloo <-> Fleet St daily. There's a megadock at Waterloo and a few others nearby so you *should* be OK for getting a bike in the morning*. Dropping the bike off in the evening can be more difficult though

It's worth getting a fob, setting up an acct and going on the daily pay-as-you-use thing IMO. Paying using a card at the machine is a bit of a hassle.

Put credit/debit card in slot, follow instructions. If you've already paid for a 24hr / 7day hire it just confirms it and prints off a 5-digit release code.

If you haven't yet booked a hire period you have to go through a 2 minute rigmarole of taking the card out, re-inserting it, typing in PIN etc.

Hints:
- double check the bike BEFORE you get it out of the rack - tyres inflated, not too obviously broken.
- spend a couple of minutes beforehand working out a rough route and know where you can park it.
- carry gloves/woolly hat/thin waterproof etc if you're going to be using the bikes. Easy to stash in a bag but can save you getting cold or covered in crap.
- the release keys are silent and give no indication that they've been pressed. They're in the order
1
2
3
(it's likely the numbers have worn off)
- to release the bike, lift the rear wheel a couple of inches off the ground then drop it, the bike will bounce out. To dock it, slam it in and wait for the light to go from amber to green. If it doesn't change, it hasn't recognised the bike being docked and you're still being charged for it!

The bikes are brilliant, just don't ever try and sprint one. They have the handling of a barge, weigh as much as a small car and have gearing that your gran could pedal.

Just be aware that some parts of London are quite poorly served by them (Bank area springs to mind) and that if you try and find a bike at Waterloo in the morning rush hour you'll likely be out of luck (similarly, don't expect to find a docking station there in afternoon rush hour).

Whenever I go up to London Village I'm quietly amazed at how many are being used, and, quite honestly, I'm really rather pleased as well. Previous attempts to have a bike-loan system failed, because the bikes were conventional, and there was no encouragement to take them back, so they got trashed or dumped in the river, like the various White Bicycle scemes. Because these are, lets face it, ugly and obvious, as well as requiring charging, they get returned, which is great.
I always use the Tube, but I always have specific destinations, and can't be arsed with a bike. It would be neat if you could use an Oyster Card as well, though.

I use them whenever I'm down in that London, which is around fortnightly at the moment. While you may be seen to be the bottom of the pecking order, I find it immensely satisfying overtaking Lycra clad road warriors.

That aside, they're great to get around central London and considerably less rubbish than the Tube.

We use them all the time if it ain't raining. MrsBouy hates riding in Town yet will happily follow me on my Fixie on a Boris. If I don't take Fixie I use Boris too.
Simple to use, not really anything to worry about TBH.
Most drivers now consider Boris Bikes as a "stear clear of object" rather than one to aim at ( as it used to be)
I was overcharged once when first using them as I didn't make sure the thing was docked propers like, so just have a second chance as you drop it off.
Place to avoid, Tower of Larndarn, tourists use them a lot and the stand is either full ( and cordoned off ) or empty, mostly it's empty.

Hey! I'm hardcore now! I've used them 4 times today already! Only have to go about 2 and a bit miles but it ends up being about 4 or 5 cos my sense of direction isn't very good to say the least! Still, I actually like getting lost on a bike, so its great. And I really do feel like I've got some kind of invisible Boris Bike Forcefield - traffic gives me a nice wide berth and it feels really quite safe! Never thought I'd be riding round the streets at night, no helmet and black clothes, like some kind of imbecile.

Never thought I'd be riding round the streets at night, no helmet and black clothes, like some kind of imbecile.

It's OK, you're no different to most Londoners no matter what their mode of transport!
Lemming pedestrians stepping out into the road, head buried in their FaceTweets, earphones in. Lemming cyclists either bimbling aimlessly on Boris Bikes or screaming through at Mach1 on fixies.